Deion Sanders carried himself with a swagger in his playing days, which was sometimes misinterpreted as arrogance, but it was actually a result of his self-belief. During that period when he reached the pinnacle of his football career, there were also hilarious moments. Champ Bailey, Sanders’ former teammate and close friend, shared some from their time together.

“Our coach was Ron Meeks. Every now and then, Deion would fall asleep in the meeting, and before long, Meeks would be all over,” Bailey revealed in an appearance on Closed on Sundays with Pat and Terrion. “Every time, Deion would nod off. Because Deion was the type, you could be talking to him for one second, and next thing, his eyes closed. And boy, he [coach] would be on Deion, and Deion would just act like he was awake the whole time.

And then we would say, ‘Yeah, he just ran the over. I just saw it. It just ran.’ That sh-t used to have us dying because we all knew they were bullshi–ing with each other.”

Champ Bailey was part of a unique DB room when Deion Sanders joined Washington for the 2000 season after spending five years with the Cowboys. The room had Bailey in his second year in the pros. At the same time, it had vets like Deion Sanders and Darrell Green, both at the fag end of their respective careers.

While Coach Prime only lasted one season with the team, he combined with Bailey to produce nine interceptions. The team finished 8-8, and Deion announced his first retirement from the NFL. But when you have had an illustrious career, there are things you can get away with.

“I’ll never forget, if Deion got beat on a route, he’d just be like, ‘Why you keep rewinding that? We saw it. Go past it.’ I don’t know if you ever know, but you go back and watch any highlight where Deion got beat, you’ll watch him fading back like, ‘he got it.’ He just let it go because he ain’t trying to be in your highlight tape. That was always his thing,” Bailey further said.

The DB-room exchanges taught Bailey how to navigate the pros. He spent four years at Washington before moving to Denver, where he truly realized his potential, earning Pro Bowl selections season after season. Post retirement, the DB was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Deion Sanders’s and Champ Bailey’s friendship continued after their playing careers

Despite spending just one year together at Washington, Bailey and Sanders have developed a strong friendship. In their public comments, they have been appreciative of how each approached the DB position. Coach Prime called Bailey “one of the best corners to ever play the game.” At the same time, whenever people compared him to Deion, Bailey was quick to stress that the very discussion was an honor for him.

“I’m not Deion Sanders. We’re different people with different styles. People see similarities between me and him; that’s fine. It’s an honor to be mentioned in the same breath with him. But that’s as far as I go with it,” he said.

After Deion moved to Boulder to coach the Colorado team, he even invited Bailey to speak to his players. The relationship took on another dimension when Coach Prime offered a scholarship to Bailey’s son, Brayden, to play for him at Colorado.

Top Stories

Frustrated Aaron Rodgers Clears Retirement Stance, Addresses Absence From Steelers Final Drive vs. Texans

Jordan Spieth Intervenes as Brooks Koepka Upsets PGA Tour Pros With ‘Return’ Announcement

Chiefs Officially Cut Ties With 7 Players as Patrick Mahomes Pays the Price for Offensive Failures

Cowboys’ Rookie Sensation Donovan Ezeiruaku Arrested on Reckless Driving Charge

Jerry Jones Announces Retirement Plans as Dallas Cowboys Owner Makes Triple Decision on Coaching Hiring

Mike Tomlin Announces Stance on Steelers Exit, Confirms Reason for Ditching Aaron Rodgers & Cam Heyward